Page 206 - English Grammar in Use

Unit -ing and -ed clauses (the woman talking to Tom,
97 the boy injured in the accident)

A A clause is a part of a sentence. Some clauses begin with -ing. For example:
Who is the woman talking to Tom? TOM
-ing clause
the woman
talking to Tom

We use -ing clauses to say what somebody (or something) is (or was) doing at a particular time:
Who is the woman talking to Tom? (the woman is talking to Tom)
Police investigating the crime are looking for three men. (police are investigating the crime)
Who were those people waiting outside? (they were waiting)
I was woken up by a bell ringing. (a bell was ringing)
You can also use an -ing clause to say what happens all the time, not just at a particular time:
The road connecting the two villages is very narrow. (the road connects the two villages)
I have a large room overlooking the garden. (the room overlooks the garden)
Can you think of the name of a flower beginning with T? (the name begins with T)

B Some clauses begin with -ed (injured, painted etc.). For example:
The boy injured in the accident was taken to hospital.
-ed clause
the boy injured
in the accident

-ed clauses have a passive meaning:
The boy injured in the accident was taken to hospital.
(he was injured in the accident)
George showed me some pictures painted by his father.
(they were painted by his father)
The gun used in the robbery has been found.
(the gun was used in the robbery)
Injured/painted/used are past participles. Most past participles end in -ed, but many are irregular
(stolen/made/built etc.):
The police never found the money stolen in the robbery.
Most of the goods made in this factory are exported.

C You can use there is / there was (etc.) + -ing and -ed clauses:
There were some children swimming in the river.
Is there anybody waiting?
There was a big red car parked outside the house.
We use left in this way, with the meaning ‘not used, still there’:
We’ve eaten nearly all the chocolates. There are only a few left .

see/hear somebody doing something ➜ Unit 67 -ing clauses ➜ Unit 68 there (is) ➜ Unit 84
194 Irregular past participles (made/stolen etc.) ➜ Appendix 1